TTD to now procure sarees and cloth materials from APCO, Co-Optex

Tirupati: Following last year's silk dupattas scam, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has now decided to procure ₹43 crore worth of sarees and other essential cloth materials from APCO and Co-Optex in a 50:50 ratio.TTD, which administers the affairs of Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala and over 60 temples across the country, requires around 65 pure zari Melchat and Uttariyam vastram sets, and 1,080 pure zari Pattu sarees (handloom) for Tirumala temple alone. The temple trust also requires 320 Melchat and Uttariyam vastram sets, 128 nine-yard Pattu sarees, and 300 six-yard silk sarees (handloom) for its local temples annually. In addition, TTD requires about 36,000 silk dupattas (powerloom), 60,000 polyester dupattas, 10.8 lakh cotton upper cloth, and around 9 lakh cotton blouse pieces.TTD additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary held a series of meetings with representatives of Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Limited (APCO) and the Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers Society (Co-Optex), which agreed to supply the cloth materials as required by the temple trust at competitive rates.TTD has adopted a multi-vendor approach in placing the ₹43 crore order with APCO and Co-Optex in a 50:50 ratio to ensure there is no disruption in supply, even in a scenario where one of the two vendors misses the supply timelines.Based on the recommendations of Dr S Arun Kumar, nodal officer to the TTD, Venkaiah Chowdary is holding a series of consultations with various producer companies empanelled with the Development Commissioner Handlooms, which already completed a pilot project on the Melchat Vastrams and Uttariyams adorned to Lord Venkateswara at the Tirumala temple.TTD is now contemplating direct procurement of high-quality Melchat Vastrams and Uttariyams meant to be adorned to Lord Venkateswara at the Tirumala temple from these empanelled producer companies, with a specific rider to make them as per the guidelines of the Agama Shastras and the specifications of the Tirupati trust.As several donor devotees also expressed their desire to donate the Melchat Vastrams and Uttariyams required to be adorned to Lord Balaji at the Tirumala temple, the TTD also decided to consider the request of the donor devotees, duly adhering to stringent testing parameters as per TTD specification and only after due verification by the nodal officer.